You crazy Finns and your coats of arms...

[Kaiser Mors V]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... aakuna.svg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inari%2C_Finland

I swear.. I love you guys.. just for that one municipality's coat of arms...

[Ari Rahikkala]

I've reported this before, but... http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuva:Kurikka.vaakuna.svg

[benkern]

They're both fantastic! Nice finds everypeoples.

[Jacobus Loki]

I think Miniarbor has trapped one of those in the Ducal Fountain.

[Ari Rahikkala]

Of course there's more to Finnish heraldics if you just dig into it a bit... how about bear cavalry for instance? Or, for that instance, possibly fire-breathing bears carrying burning crates? Or if you prefer the good old-fashioned WTF, here's a fish with a lock in its mouth .

[Chrimigules]

I enjoy the national coat of arms: Lion committing suicide a la King of Hearts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Coat ... inland.svg

[Jacobus Loki]

Nau, he's not committing suicide. He's just got a big swing ready to take out aggressive Russians or pushy Swedes, and to protect Ingermanland refugees.

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

That's some fish
lol- looks like the kind of creature we could mention in Shireroth's fictional history

[Kaiser Mors V]

We have Demon Fish of Balgurd....

[Ari Rahikkala]

... I don't like the idea of the Daemon Fish of Balgurd having enormous horns...

[Jacobus Loki]

Maybe fire shoots out of the horns?

[Kaiser Mors V]

well.. according to Cedrist lore.. you can eat them safely.... or was that just a god that had the same name... I forget...

[Braden Indianensis]

... I don't like the idea of the Daemon Fish of Balgurd having enormous horns...

ANTLERS!!

[Ari Rahikkala]

A sarvi is a sarvi, Braden, if English disagrees it's English's own goddamn problem that it's so pedantic

[Kaiser Mors V]

I find that argument shallow and pedantic...

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

^ Yvain! Yvain! Here's an argument in Shireroth for you!

[Ari Rahikkala]

Seriously though, the fact remains that English is not my first language and, since I'm no genius with languages (unlike some people in this nation), I make mistakes like that more often than I'd like to... so I actually do really appreciate it when you notify me of them

[benkern]

You could have fooled me. Your English is damn good. You make less mistakes than many English people I know. Keep up the good work!

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

Damn straight. You speak better English than most of the Lovely Sector micronationalists put together- and they're all native speakers!

[hypatias mom]

I'm afraid it's a product of our public education system, and the fact that few teachers nowadays seem to insist on proper spelling, grammar and syntax. Also, few of our students learn second languages anywhere near as well as most Europeans do.

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

Europeans? England has the worst record in Europe of students dropping foreign languages. To be frank, I couldn't care less if so many people abroad understand English, it's simply polite to at least try and speak their language- I don't see why in, for example, Portugal, I should make a Portuguese have to work in their own country to make a guest understand them.
I did three languages at GCSE and attempted teaching myself two- at least people should make a little bit of an effort to learn something- personally I think it's a downright disgrace.

[hypatias mom]

I wasn't necessarily putting the English in the category of Europeans, though there seems to be plenty of controversy on that score. I meant tnat many schools in other, non-English first-language nations seem to emphasize becoming bilingual in both their native language and English. I find it quite amazing when I am in Europe just how many people speak wondeful English, and am a bit abashed that few of my countrymen can return the favor to our foreign visitors. With the exception of Spanish (38% of Californians are now Hispanic), few people except for immigrants can manage to even greet people in another language.

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

I thought that a lot of Americans learnt Spanish because of the amount of people who speak it in the Southern States?
In the UK, it's become compulsory in Wales for schoolchildren to learn Welsh. A damn good thing too, I think (if not for their throats, then certainly for cultural preservation).

[hypatias mom]

Actually, that is the main reason for the prevalence of Spanish instruction here, but most students put in their one or two mandatory years and then put the language away. Few learn it in depth. I'm afraid Latin and Greek are rarely to be found in high schools anymore, and almost as rarely in colleges. Mandarin, Arabic, and American Sign Language seem to be making the most headway these days.

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

To an extent, the same thing certainly seems to be happening in the UK- the amount of high school students doing Chinese or Japanese almost trebled in the last few years. Mainly because people can see China as a rising power to do business with.
If they stop making the two years' study of a foreign language compulsory, we might as well just kiss foreign language speakers from the USA and UK goodbye. From what I know, Australia certainly are better on that record- they teach Indonesian even in quite a few Australian schools, so I am told.

[benkern]

Europeans? England has the worst record in Europe of students dropping foreign languages.

Surely you mean best!

I loathe French GCSE, not least because it is French. I think learning multiple languages should be limited to those that need to (eg if you're going to live there for an extended period - you can then perfect it abroad) and those that want to. The only reason I picked it is because it is slightly better than what I personally consider to be rather jokey subjects (no offence to anyone who takes them, but I don't have an interest in them) - Geography, DT and the like. I am most certainly going to forget French after GCSE and have no intention to make an effort to do otherwise. Of course, it'll be stuck in my head, but I won't be able to do much with it unless I have 1-3 weeks refreshment.

Anyway I don't think its much of a disgrace that UK residents aren't willing to learn foreign languages.

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

No, but I do think it's a disgrace that they think it's alright to go around Spain, France or Italy without even knowing the bare essentials in the languages spoken in those countries.
Sure, if you're not any good at languages, there's no reason to have to pursue them academically, but if people are prepared to travel abroad they have to respect foreign culture, customs, and above all a foreign language- even if it means knowing some necessary niceties and greetings in the languages in question.

[Liam conToketi]

Meh, I am one of the few people that I know of who want to learn a lot of languages. I have a list numbering about two dozen languages I want to learn before I die. I happen to be very good a languages. And despite being american, I have no desire to learn spanish (or french), to me, they're too mainstream. I've even gone so far as to make a complete language of my own. Why? I hate english. I took two different languages in high school: German from 8th-12th grades and Japanese 11th and 12th grades. I'm self-teaching myself Romanian and Bulgarian. I'm trying to learn Arabic. Then there are the other 18 or so languages on my list. My theory, I'll just learn every other notable language (except spanish and french) and speak to anyone I need to speak to...

[hypatias mom]

But t if you have to speak with a non-English-speaker in this hemisphere? You'll be out of luck. And, if you go to California, you'd better have a few handy Hindi, Spanish or Mandarin words in your lexicon when you order at a fast food restaurant.

[Liam conToketi]

Meh, I have some knowledge of spanish...

Donde esta la tequila?